Melinda
by WhiteRaven1992
Summary: Harry wanders into the woods, what he finds will change his life forever.
1. The Rustle Above My Head

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. ALL Characters and situations not in the original books or movies are mine.

* * *

Harry Potter scowled to himself as he stormed through the halls of Hogwarts. Another Argument, another pressing by his friends to 'get on with his life'. But it wasn't that simple. He had lost his godfather, who was one of the last people who could tell him anything about his parents. He had talked to Remus, and had been told a bit, but Sirius had been his dad's best friend, like a brother. Even Remus had admitted that he could never know as much about his parents as Sirius did.

He found that his feet had left soft grass, and were crunching on leaves and sticks and roots. 'The forest', he thought to himself.

He stopped and looked around, he didn't even know just how far in he'd gone. "Shite." He muttered. He raised his wand to _'Accio´_ his Fire-Bolt, knowing he had left the dorm window open, but a noise overhead stopped him.

Suddenly a figure dropped from the trees about five feet from him. He had his wand pointed at the person before they even landed, and was shocked when a girl about his age stood staring back at him.

"Err… hello." He said hesitantly. There was something…off about this girl. Her skin was very pale, and her blue eyes, even in the dimming light, were shining.

"I'm sorry to have startled you. I just, wasn't expecting to see a human walking this deep into the forest. Even the large man doesn't come this far. It is not safe there are many creatures, who, unlike myself would not hesitate to harm you."

"A human? So you're not?" He said, lowering his wand a bit, but still having it ready.

"Not quite. I am a Dhampir. I am half Vampire, and half human. My name is Melinda King. I promise not to hurt you, please sit, it is nice to have company." She said, pushing her long brown hair behind her and dropping to the ground, sitting cross legged on a root. She snapped her fingers and a small ball of light appeared above her head, illuminating the darkening space.

"Wow. You can do magic? Without a wand?" Harry asked, joining her on the ground, with his wand in his lap.

"All Dhampir can do magic. Especially since only a wizard/witch and a vampire, or two Dhampir can bare Dhampir children. Their magic allows the body to be able to handle the rather difficult pregnancy."

"Oh. So how old are you?" He asked.

"Naturally? I stopped aging at eighteen, whenever my body finished developing fully. But I have been alive for about seventy years."

"Ad how long have you been here?" He asked.

"Only just recently, the past year or so. I had a wild idea of seeing all of the magical forest lands in the country and this one was the most famous. I loved it so much I decided to stay. I built a small home nearby and spend my days with the other creatures." She replied happily.

"So you can go out in the daytime?" Harry asked, he was very curious about this girl.

"Yes, fortunately. My human blood attributes to that."

"And can you only become a Dhampir by birth?" That was a point he wanted to know most.

"No. You can be changed into one, through a sort of magical ritual. It can happen only with Dhampir however, since any bond you made with an actual Vampire would make you one of them. What about you? I have told you about me, what is your name? How old are you? And since I know you to be a student, why are you in the forest?"

"Oh… my apologies, I'm Harry Potter. I'm sixteen. And I just lost my godfather about a year ago, and all of my friends were pressuring me to stop being depressed and move on with my life. It just… was too much." He sighed in distress, he had not told anyone how he really felt, it was nice. Melinda seemed so easy to talk to.

"I know how it feels. My father was killed before I was born, but my mother and I were thick as thieves. She was my whole world. She died a few years ago. She was forty when I was born, and she spent sixty years of my life with me. I mourned her terribly, I had offered to bond with her to change her many times. But she refused. She accepted death and died peacefully. At least for that, I am thankful."


	2. Do You Trust Me?

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER.

* * *

They spent the rest of the night talking, telling each other about their lives, and they moved to her home when the night became too cold for Harry. They ate some fruit and bread she had made for them and by the time the sun came up they had come full circle back to why he had come to the forest. She explained that they did not drink blood, but they still had fangs that could retract, for defensive purposes.

They had been sitting quietly for a few minutes. Finally Harry spoke. "It was sudden with Sirius. One minute he's fighting alongside me, grinning like a kid playing soldiers in the front yard, and then he was gone…he fell through the veil."

Melinda's head snapped up at that. "The veil? You mean the one held at the Ministry?" She said.

"Yes…"

"Harry… your godfather is not dead. He is simply lost. Any undead, or similar creature can pass through the veil at will, but a human, once they enter, can only come out if someone from the outside brings them out. Most wizards do not know this, but my kind, we are very much aware."

Harry's eyes had widened. "So could you? Cold you go through the veil and come back out?" He asked.

"Yes. But Harry, there is no way your Sirius would ever trust me enough to come with me. He probably believes himself dead. As entering the veil is like entering Heaven. You would have to come with me, and I do not know if I am strong enough to pull both of you back out when we find him. I want to help you, but I just don't see how."

Harry felt his heart sink. She wanted to help him. He struggled to think of how they could pull this off. His head shot up. "Change me."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"Change me. Make me like you. Then we could both go in. You to help navigate and me to convince Sirius to come with us. It's the only way." He pleaded with her.

"Harry… are you sure? It is not a pleasant process. Your body very much has to die, and then you have to come back to life. I have seen it before. It takes days to do it, and you will need to stay with me for at least two weeks after until you are strong enough. Also, you will have to learn how to control your magic. You will no longer require a wand, or spells and so it ca be a bit tricky controlling it at first. I can help you, but you will have to trust me one-hundred percent. Your life will be in my hands. This may also not be received well with others, especially given who you are." She was very stern, but gentle with her explanation, ensuring he was sure about his decision.

"You will be released from your bond to HIM you know, but your mothers bond will also break. Going through this process will eradicate that by the way. Dying breaks any bonds anyone may have with you, good or otherwise."

Harry sat and stared at this girl. He felt something change in him, like a warm drop of sun in his chest. He knew that this girl was his destiny, his path, and that she could save not only Sirius, but maybe even himself.

"I'm sure. I want to do this. I trust you." He said calmly and with conviction. He only just had begun to know her, but deep inside of him, he knew it was the right choice.

"Then there is one more thing you must know. The process must be started with physical intimacy between the Dhampir and the one they are changing. Physical bonding helps to strengthen the magic to perform its task." She said quietly, and with a slight blush.

Harry blushed too, but found he rather liked the notion of kissing her… touching her. Everything about her made him want to melt inside. He stood and reached his hand out. "Do you trust me?" He said.

"What?"

"I said, do you trust me?"

"Y-Yes…" She replied as she took his hand and he led her up the small ladder to the loft where an assortment of cushions and blankets lay. She had explained that Dhampir do not sleep, and that this was more of a cozy place for her to relax in.

He undid his clothes and stripped down to his shorts and he helped her do the same before he laid her gently on the cushions, her breasts moving gently as they had not been in a bra. He had never done this with anyone, but the feelings inside him told him that if he just went with it, everything would be okay.

Melinda looked up at him in wonder, in all the years she had lived, no man had ever touched her. She rejected the ones who asked, and smashed the faces of the ones who didn't. Her whole body seemed to tingle, and she knew, Harry Potter coming into the forest that night, while she was out was no coincidence, it was fate.

He latched his mouth to hers gently, languidly moving his lips as she parted hers, allowing him entrance. He stroked her tongue with his and reveled in the sweet taste of the fruits she had eaten, along with a taste that was just… her. He reached underneath her and began to pull her panties down, which she aided him with by raising her hips and leaning her legs in the right angle.

He removed his shorts, and she was met with the sight of a well hard erection showing beneath a soft scattering of dark curls. Harry thought back to the one porno he had watched and reached between them, stroking the soft nub of her clit with his thumb, making her arch and gasp in surprise and pleasure.

He smiled and they resumed their kissing, their bodies sliding together in a soft dance of lovemaking until the need to be inside of her began to take over, and he positioned himself at her entrance.

"Have you ever?" he asked. He wanted to know how careful her had to be.

"No. But I trust you." Was her reply, and it was the truth.

"I promise I'll ty not to hurt you." He said before he gently slid into her warmth, and a deep moan erupted from both of them at the sensations. He pushed in a bit more every so often until he felt something give, and then he was all the way in. Melinda was wrapped against him tightly, small tears coming from her eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Stroking her hair with his left hand as his right supported his weight.

"I'm fine, hurt a bit, but its already beginning to go away." She too a few deep breaths and then nodded to him. "You can move now."

And move he did. He began a soft steady rhythm and was pleased when he heard short gasps and moans of pleasure coming from her lips. Then he felt it… a pulse of something. A soft, gentle wave of magic washing over them, and it seemed to intensify as they got closer to climax.

He angled himself a bit differently to support his weight more and she arched against him, moaning in pleasure. He smirked a bit and moved that way again, this time earning a whispered 'Harry'.

Melinda was in ecstasy, she was glad she had waited to do this until now. The growing feeling of trust and dare she say? Love… as well as the magic of the process beginning was about to become too much to handle. And then she felt him hit that spot deep inside her, and a wave of pleasure swept so fiercely though her, she felt her body jerk. And then he did it again. "Harry" She whimpered.

The sound of his name leaving her lips like that, it spurred something inside of him and he succumbed to the need to bring her to climax and to feel himself cum inside her.

He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up a bit and she was sitting on his lap, facing him. He was on his knees and so used the position to almost bounce up and down, bring her up and then down with him, each time his cock slammed into her. She cried out his name again and the moans from there didn't stop until finally she bit down on his shoulder as she cried out, her muscles clenching and her body shaking as she came. The feeling of her coming had Harry moaning and he gave a few last hard thrusts before his seed was being shot into her warm wet pussy. The magic spiked and intensified and he could feel the spot where she bit dripping with blood and it was pulsing in a good way. Then the magic dulled down. He could still feel it but it was like background noise.

He rolled them over, gently laying her next to him as he slid out of her, and he pulled a blanket over them and closed his eyes. He was asleep in minutes. Melinda watched him sleep for a bit, and then got up, being careful not to wake him. She needed to get cleaned up, and then prepare for the next few days. She was going to be very busy caring for him.

An hour later, she had cleaned up, changed and eaten again. She wiped his body down with a warm wet cloth, trying to clean him as est she could while he was lying there. She then proceeded to change the blankets around him, and set them to washing in a basin by themselves. She would need them again soon when his sweat would likely drench the new ones through. She removed all but the cushions he was laying on and supported his head a bit more with a rather large one. The others she placed in the corner for her to sit on while she watched over him. Any minute now the change would begin, and she hoped it did not affect him too badly.

* * *

And that is why this is rated M lol.


	3. Back To The Beginning, To Get To The End

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

Harry felt like his body was on fire, it seemed to stretch on forever. He couldn't tell if minutes had gone by, or hours or days. He tried to wake himself up, but he couldn't. Then… the pain stopped.

He found himself in what looked like the cupboard under the stairs he used to sleep in. But it was all white, and clean and the door was open. He stood from the cot and stepped out of the cupboard and he found himself on a street, the colors were dulled but at least it wasn't white. He saw a figure in a black cloak standing nearby. But they either did not see him, or were just ignoring him.

"Hello?" He called to them. They simply stood and watched the large white house in front of them. So they couldn't see him. He looked at the house and at first saw nothing but then in a top front window, he saw a light come on and a woman came in, it was his… his MUM! She was talking sweetly to a small baby who was fussing in a crib… and Harry knew it was himself.

The black cloaked figure advanced upon the house and pointed his wand at the door. Harry heard the shouts from his unseen father of 'LILY! IT'S HIM! TAKE HARRY! RUN!'

Harry ran into the house after Voldemort and watched as his father dueled and lost. He watched as Voldemort stepped over him as if he were nothing. Then he found himself standing in his nursery as his mother looked down into the crib and whispered to him. 'Harry, you are so loved. So loved. Momma Loves you. Dadda Loves you. Harry be safe, be strong."

He saw as she grabbed the baby from the crib, but the door blasted open then and she turned to shield him. He saw Voldemort in his cloak come forth and tell her to step aside and give him the boy. She set the baby back into his crib and stood in front of it.

"Take me! Take me! Just not Harry. NOT HARRY!" She begged the man. He shouted at her to step aside and when she refused he shot the killing curse at her. Harry watched as she fell, her scream ringing in his ears, and hot tears pricking hi eyes.

Voldemort stepped forward and did not hesitate before he raised his wand and cast the same curse on the baby.

Harry watched as the spell backfired and the body was disintegrated into nothing. He saw a small smoke like thing twisting around the room until it shot into baby Harry.

"Voldemort's soul. I'm a Horcrux." He said quietly to himself and then the scene changed and it was later, and Severus Snape was sitting on the floor, his dead mother in his arms as he sobbed in pain. The baby Harry looking on in confused, tear filled fear. He would have to talk to him about that later.

Then the room went white. And he saw no one but baby Harry. Sitting there watching him. He stepped forward and recoiled when instead of seeing his green eyes, he saw red orbs looking back at him. He knew then this was the piece of Voldemort's soul inside of him. And he had to kill it before his own soul could overcome the transformation into a Dhampir.

He stared into the red orbs, trying to not see the baby around them. And he began to think of all he had lost, his family, his friends, his life. And the anger built inside of him and he shouted 'AVADA KEDAVRA' at the infant and there was a great and horrible scream of agony that was the sound of a man, not an infant and then the room erupted in light.

He found himself moved once again. This time he was in the Hogwarts Great Hall. It was empty but for two people. It was his Mum and Dad!

"Mum, Dad!" He began to exclaim but then he realized if he could see them, he must have died.

"Harry. Oh my baby. I'm so proud of you. You rid yourself of that vile thing! " Lilly said.

"Am I dead?" Harry asked.

"Yes. And you are in the in-between. But you don't belong here son. You need to wake up."

"But what about you guys?" Harry asked and hugged his mother and father.

Lily answered him. "We are only here to help guide you, but it is not your true time yet. We love you, and we are so proud of you. Now wake up baby. Wake up."


	4. Harry the Dhampir

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

Harry came to himself and his eyes shot open, he could still hear his mother's voice in his head. He heard Melinda down on the main floor and looked around the room, and half expected to see his parents standing there. They weren't but he was a little bit happy. They had seen him grow up, had helped him, had kept him from turning into a monster.

He heard Melinda come up into the room, a tray levitating in front of her. "I heard your heart stop, and knew it wouldn't be long until you woke. I made you some food." She said quietly. In fact she was being careful not to make that much noise at all.

"Why are you being so quiet?" He asked in his raspy voice.

"Your new senses are heightened. Did you notice you can see me clearly, but you don't have your glasses on?" She smirked.

He hadn't noticed. And he nodded his head, realizing she was trying to spare his hearing until he got used to it. He barley sniffed and could smell that actual sugary scent of the honey on the tray.

"You never told me how you got all of this stuff out here." He said as he reached for some toast.

"Magic helps and I go on little missions to the real world to gather supplies every now and then. I also gather what I can from the forest."

"Oh, so how long was I out?" He said.

"Two days, I'm actually quite impressed. There was one spot where I thought you weren't going to make it though. Your body heated up to a crazy level and your skin was all red, and you were moaning in pain. It took every ounce of energy I had to simply try and cool you down before you really killed yourself from fever, rather than stop the process altogether."

"You can do that?" He asked.

"Of course I can. I'm the Dhampir who initiated the process, I could have stopped it at any time. We had better hurry with your training by the way. They've already got search parties out looking for you. I stepped out briefly for some supplies while you were asleep." She chuckled at the look of alarm he gave her.

"I was defenseless and you left me here alone?" He shrilled.

"My home is about as heavily warded and untraceable as Hogwarts is. I used very old Dhampir magic, so even Wizards can't trace it. You were perfectly safe. Plus I was only gone five minutes just outside in the garden. But I could see the people in the distance. Heard one guy yelling about how he was 'Going to skin Harry alive when they found him, for making him come back to the forest with the bloody spiders and shite'." Very loud redheaded boy. She laughed.

Harry laughed too, but felt guilty. He hadn't said goodbye to them and hadn't told them what was happening and he'd been missing I action for two days! They probably thought he was captured by Voldemort. "That's Ron, he's my best friend."

"Ah, that would explain the feeling of great love and loyalty towards you I felt coming off of him." She said.

"You could feel that?" He asked.

"One of many talents.

Now you've eaten, let's start with trying to control your magic. I want you to think about summoning one of those pillows. Think of it gently coming into your hand."

Harry did as he was told. He was amazed when it happened just as he thought.

"That was bloody brilliant!" He exclaimed.

"And impressive… I never had that much self-control when I first started getting my powers. Took me years. Though seeing as you've had instances of wandless magic before, I'm not surprised. I never experienced that because I was born a Dhampir. So we know you can control your magic enough, just try to keep the magic to minimal things when in public unless you absolutely have to do more complicated workings, just until you get a handle on it." She warned.

"Okay, so about the senses?" He asked.

"Clear you thoughts listen to what's around you." She instructed.

He concentrated and he could hear the rustle of leaves outside, the clomping of hooves in the distance and some voices scattered here and there.

"Wow." He said. "But what about when people are talking to me?"

"Think of it as having a radio playing in the background. When people are talking to you, turn the volume down a bit so it's not too loud, but the background noise will still be there so you can know what's going on around you. As for the others, they are easy to handle. Sight is enhanced and you'll be able to see farther, see more detail and even in the dark. Smell is a good one, great for figuring out if there is a possible poison being fed to you."

"Can poison kill us?" He asked.

"No. Even the Avada Kedavra curse can't kill us. Only things like burning to death, drowning, and having our head chopped off, or like our bodies damaged to the point of no return can kill us. We don't heal instantly, but we heal quickly. Think of someone scratching you. Normally it would take a few days for it to heal, ours would take about an hour, even faster if it's a life threatening wound, as our magic kicks in to save us. And poisons, if we do manage to take one, just make us barf for about a day."

Harry nodded. "So how soon can we go to the Ministry?" He asked.

"Maybe a week, you seem to be handling the transition well. The only other two I've seen were on people who were sick, so I just kind of slightly improved what would happen to you, since I didn't know if the weakness after was from the change or just them. But I still suggest you stay with me at all times, just to be safe."

He nodded and stood. "I need a shower. Care to join me?" he asked. He surprised himself at his boldness.

"Confidence is another new trait, it's the knowing of our souls that we are complete and whole now, and that you and I are connected. Oh and don't be surprised as your appearance, your body healed itself of all the malnourishment you endured as a child. You look like you would have looked with a healthy upbringing." She said as she led the way down to the bathroom, where he pulled her into the steaming shower after ten minutes of staring at his new muscles and his tan skin and his new height of about six feet two.

"Don't know how you found me attractive before. I looked like a child compared to now!" He said.

"I was attracted to your body and soul. This new you, is just a bonus." She giggled. He laughed with a slightly deeper tone, obviously another trait. They washed each other and made slow passionate love as the hot water ran over their bodies. Harry reveled in all of the new scents and sensations he felt, and his mind was eased that he had indeed done the right thing.

* * *

SO now Harry is a Dhampir, and it looks like there's love in the air! Yay!


	5. Soul, Body, and Mind

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

Two weeks had passed. Melinda had popped over to a Muggle village a few miles south of them to buy him some new clothes after taking measurements. He insisted he could magically alter his old things, but she was not having it. She described his old clothes as ratty, and that she was going to beat his relatives for making him dress like that. She wore stylish yet functional clothing, and he would do the same.

When Melinda returned she handed him several pairs of jeans in different washes, a couple of tan cargo pants and shorts as well as three pairs of black, grey, and navy blue dress slacks. New underwear and socks, even dress socks, some undershirts for when he wore his new dress shirts, new t-shirts in several different colors, some belts, and a pair of shoes to match each style of outfit. She also had a few pairs of black cargo pants and black shirts. She said this was for the nights when they would be out in the forest, so it would be harder to see them.

She shooed him off to the loft telling him to hand his things in the wardrobe that suddenly appeared next to hers. He was a little shocked at first, but then realized they might as well live together, seeing as they were kind of bonded, and he was technically not a wizard anymore so he didn't need to go to school. He had enough money to last a wizards lifetime, and Melinda had assured him that she knew ways to invest that would keep the money in good amount as long as they were alive. But the simple life she led also helped, since she didn't spend much money anyways. He liked her way of thinking.

He was dressed in one of his pairs of jeans and a green t-shirt, and was waiting for her to finish dressing when she came out of the bathroom, she had changed into a sun dress of sorts in a pretty plum purple, and a pair of silver ballet flat shoes. She had done her hair and makeup and looked lovely.

Harry's hair had lengthened to his shoulders, and he liked it since now it laid flat, so he just pulled it up into a ponytail using a black hair tie Melinda lent to him. She pulled two small boxes from the shelf on her right.

"Harry… I wanted to ask you something. When we bonded… it was more than just me changing you. I feel something, like the whole world, like my whole life has just been waiting for this. I know it sound crazy, but I have fallen in love with you. Seeing you like you were during the change… it nearly broke my heart. And when it was over, all I could think of was how happy I was that you were in my life, and…" She was stopped when he crossed the room and kissed her silent. She blushed as she realized she had been rambling.

"I feel the same way. Like you were made for me, and how even living as long as you have, you gave a part of yourself to me that no one else has. I've fallen in love with you too." He kissed her again. He knew what the boxes were. He opened the small one and saw an obviously antique ring, it was large with a large emerald stone in the middle surrounded by diamond in a setting of platinum. He opened the other and found a platinum men's band, no stones, but still very nice.

"They were my parent's rings. They loved each other dearly. I've fund you Harry, and I want you to stay with me…if you want to." She looked at him… a bit shy and obviously terrified he would reject her.

He knew that if they did this, there was no going back, the magic would make it permanent and binding until one of them died. But he didn't care. These last weeks had showed him a whole new side of the world he lived in, and he didn't want to go back. "I want to." He took the sapphire ring from its box and slipped it onto her ring finger. He thought of how to word it so the magic would bind them properly. "Melinda King. I love you, and I am joined by soul, body and mind to you. I want to also be joined by name to you. I am yours, and you are mine, forever."

Melinda took the platinum band from its box and slipped it onto his ring finger. "Harry Potter. I love you, and I am joined by soul, body, and mind to you. I want to also be joined by name to you. I am yours, and your are mine, forever."

They felt the warmth of the magic spread through their clasped hands and it their whole bodies as they sealed their life bonding with a kiss. Harry then asked Melinda how they knew it worked. She went to the shelf and pulled an old book out. She opened it to a page in the middle and pointed to her name, under her mother Katherine's, and her father Sebastian's.

Melinda Elizabeth King (1924-)

Harry watched as the single name under her parents changed and a line connected it with a new name.

Melinda Elizabeth Potter (1924-)- Harry James Potter (1980-)

He looked at it for a minute, and a big grin washed over his face. "You're my wife now! So I guess that means I'm a legal adult?" He asked.

"Technically you are emancipated, but you will age probably for a couple of years until you hit full adulthood naturally, then you will stop. I figure you'll be about twenty when that happens. Males tend to reach maturity a bit later than girls. But is that all you're happy about?" She teased.

He grabbed her around the waist, and kissed her. "No, I'm also happy we didn't have to go through all of the hubbub of a wedding and party and such." At her stern look he laughed and kissed her again. "I'm also just happy to have you, by my side forever."

"Now I like that one. And don't worry, I'm not into big parties either. But as much as I would like to revel in our new marriage, if we don't show you at the castle soon, I fear an uprising may occur. The search parties have doubled."

"Okay. If we must."

"Hey, at least you look like a hot Dhampir sex god now. I doubt anyone will want to mess with you." She laughed as he preened a bit under the compliment.

* * *

OMG will you look what they did?! Please Review!


	6. Popping the Bubble

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

They left their little bubble of bliss and made their way swiftly to the edge of the forest, thankfully avoiding the search parties due to the invisibility shield Melinda placed on them. Harry was glad for it, since he probably wouldn't be able to fit under his invisibility cloak anymore. It had been tailored for his dad, who was shorter as an adult than Harry was now. He had heard the people in his mother's family were tall and he knew it to be true from his Aunt.

They went up to the castle and managed to get past the roaming students without bumping into anyone. They reached the Headmasters office and Harry, remembering the password from a visit he had made just before he left. The spell was dropped and Melinda straightened her dress and hair and did the same for Harry before they ascended the stairs. When they got to the door, Harry knocked and was told to enter, even as he heard voices inside.

As he opened the doors and stepped in, Melinda behind him, he heard gasps and cries of 'Harry?!' and 'Potter?!'Coming from Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, McGonagall, and Snape. Speaking of Severus, he reminded himself that they needed to have a talk later.

Suddenly a head of bushy brown hair was shoved into his face and he was forced to let go of his wife's hand as Hermione launched herself at Harry, followed by Molly, who hugged him and then yelled at him.

"Where have you been? We have been worried sick! And what happened to you?!" She exclaimed before suddenly noticing something., She looked from him to Melinda, and then the rings on their fingers. "Goodness Harry! What have you done?"

"Yes, Potter, do enlighten us as to the disappearing act, and the changes it has brought." Severus said. He looked over to Albus who had sent his patronus to the forest to call off the search parties.

"I'm sorry for worrying you all. I left on a bit of a journey of self-discovery. I wasn't sure about how to come back, and so I admit I procrastinated a bit. I am so sorry you went through all of this because of me. I really am."

Albus spoke up then. "It is alright Harry, we are merely glad you are back, and you are safe. Now would you care to introduce your new bride? And explain how you have become part of the Dhampir race?"

'There really was no getting anything around that old man!' Harry thought to himself. He also took in with some pain the looks of fear and distrust thrown at him from Ron, Molly, and Severus. Hermione and Minerva simply looked intrigued.

"This is Melinda. She and I met during my journey, and we fell in love. I thought long and hard about the decision to become Dhampir, and I don't regret it. It has freed me from some bonds, offered me some new and much better ones, as well as opened up a world of possibilities for me."

Melinda had been quiet this whole time, merely assessing everyone. She suddenly stepped forward and took the right hand of the Headmaster. She lifted the long sleeve and looked at the hand that was slowly turning black. "You have been affected by a powerful curse. But I can reverse it, if you will allow me?" She asked. The Headmaster nodded slowly and Melinda bent down and pressed her lips gently to the skin of his hand and everyone, who was now silent, could hear her whispering, and suddenly the blackness that engulfed the skin was shifting and it moved to her lips and was absorbed into her body.

She stood and shook her head to clear it. All trace of the curse was gone. "What did you do?" Albus said.

"I took the curse into myself. It is one I have seen before, and it will not harm me. My magic eradicated it as soon as it came into contact with me. But you are now healed." She leaned in and whispered to him, "By the way, we need to have a talk about my husband having a part of Voldemort's soul inside of him. I know you knew." She then smiled and looked to Severus, shooting him a knowing look before standing back by Harry who instantly held her close and asked if she was alright. When she insisted she was fine, he still looked worried, but he let it go.

"So where have you been Harry?" Hermione asked.

"With Melinda at her home." He said, only to be corrected by his wife.

"Our home." She said.

"Yes, our home."

"What about Ginny?!" Ron yelled, clearly disgusted with the display of affection.

"What about her Ron?" Harry asked.

"You know she fancies you, and I thought you two were getting together last I checked!" He argued. His mother glared at him. "Ronald!"

"It's okay Mrs. Weasley. I admit, I liked Ginny, but this…" He motioned to Melinda, "This is more than like, it's even more than love. The minute I met her, I felt this pull to her, like it was a magnet and I had a giant piece of metal right in my chest. Every time I look at her… I feel…complete." He said, and wiped the single tear that fell from his love's eye.

He could hear Hermione and Mrs. Weasley sniffle a bit, he even saw Minerva quickly wipe the corner of her eye.

"It seems or Mister Potter cannot even succeed normality and being low-key when it comes to meeting his soul mate." Severus sneered, though he did look a bit interested. "The papers will have a field day Albus."

"I daresay you're right, but I congratulate the two of you. If there is one person whom I know deserves to be happy, it's Harry. Also, the new traits of his transformation may work I our favor. I assume the little problem with the scar will no longer be a problem?" He asked Harry, who nodded quickly.

"Well then cheers all around!" Albus said and summoned a house elf with some champagne.

Ron stood and looked at his best friend. "I'm sorry it isn't my sister, I would have loved to have you as an actual brother mate. But I'm happy, if you're happy." He slapped his friend on the shoulder. "And you'll have to show me some of your new tricks later." He looked to Melinda and quietly, enough so only she and Harry could hear him. "Hurt him, and I'll take the sword of Gryffindor over there and chop off your pretty little head, clear?" He smiled when she nodded, very seriously at him, accepting his warning as a promise, she could feel it, but she was not scared. "Good then."

"So Harry, will you be returning to Hogwarts?" Minerva asked as she motioned for the two Dhampir to sit in chairs she had summoned. Molly instantly was by Melinda's side with Hermione and asking her all sorts of questions, and practically drooling over the ring.

"No, Professor. But don't worry. I won't be far away. And with my new gifts, I could hear any threats to the castle miles away."

"I must say I'm surprised at you Potter." Severus joined the duo and looked down at his now former student. " Upon seeing what you had done I expected to hear you stammer though some lame explanation, but it seems that for once, you have used your head." He nodded lightly and smirked, before exiting the room.

"I think that is as close to a compliment as I have ever heard from him." Minerva stated with a stunned smile.

* * *

Okay... Severus giving a compliment? I fear I may die of shock.


	7. Confrontations

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

Melinda sat upon the roots of the oak near the black lake when she heard footsteps coming in her direction. Harry was spending a bit of time with his friends, and Melinda had wanted to speak to the Headmaster alone.

"Mrs. Potter." Albus stated. "You have concerns?"

"My husband… he went through an ordeal much harder than I imagined. So much so that I almost stopped it. When he came too, he told me what he saw, what had happened. I was appalled. I have no doubt in my mind that you knew of this thing inside of him, and yet you chose not to aid him. It took the spirits of his parents very nearly possessing him to keep the monster at bay." She stilled, fixing him with a stare born of great displeasure. It actually made the headmaster uncomfortable.

"For the greater good I assure you…" He started, but was interrupted by her face contorting with rage.

"DO NOT LIE TO ME! You raised him, like a pig for slaughter! You put him with those horrid muggles for the sake of making sure he was an obedient puppet for you, and then you allowed all of the horrible things he went through to happen, when they could have easily been avoided if you had truly acted as the caretaker you claim to be. Harry was so betrayed by his discovery that he wept for two days in my arms. Did you wonder why he would not speak directly to you?" She stood, her hair rising a bit as her magic conveyed her anger.

"You don't know…"

"I know enough! I know of the prophecy, and I know that it did not make sense the way Harry was raised. If he was to be more powerful than Voldemort, then surely the ones set to care for and train him would have done more? But then I realized. It was not the power of a wizard with which he would use to defeat The Dark Lord… no, it was the power of a Dhampir. Voldemort does not know Harry has changed, and Harry plans on using that to his advantage. I will be training him from now on. We will fight for your side, but we will not fight for YOU. Good day, Headmaster." She snarled one last time before turning on her heel and heading back to the castle.

She could feel emotions of concern and worry echoing from one of the towers in the castle, and knew Harry had heard the argument. She tried to calm herself and send waves of reassurance, but it obviously didn't work, because as soon as she was halfway up the stairs, Harry was there.

"You didn't have to do that you know. I could have handled him." He said as he kissed the top of her head.

"I know, but the lies, I could literally feel the gears in his head working to think of ways to get around the truth. He used you for his own gains. But there was something there Harry, a small amount of guilt and love. He cares for you, I just don't know if he remembers that or not."

"He may care about me, or feel guilt. But it doesn't excuse what he did. I may never be able to forgive him fully." Harry looked sad at this, it was like he was losing another member of his family, only this time, by choice.

"I'm sorry love."

"Don't be. This won't be easy, but we will deal with anything that comes, together. Oh and we have been invited for breakfast tomorrow."

"Lovely, should we go and have that chat with Snape now? The sooner we get it over with, the sooner we can go home, and I can ravish you well into the night." She grinned mischievously.

Harry laughed at her, and they walked down towards the dungeons.

"Did you get a chance to speak to… Ginny, was it?" She asked.

"Yeah, she was a bit upset, but seeing as how we were never together, she just had a crush. I think she'll be okay." He replied.

They reached the door to Professor Snape's office and set to knocking. They waited a few minutes before the door opened and the potion masters face came to view, I sneered at the occupants of the hallway. "The newlyweds, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'd like to discuss something of importance, and rest assure Professor, you don't want me to say it in the hallway." Harry replied.

Snape stood for a moment before moving aside and pushing the door open a bit further. "Come in, before someone sees you."

They sat down, and Harry cut to the point, knowing an offer of tea and cakes would not be put forth, so there was no need for formality. "Would you like to explain why on the night of her death, you were at my house holding my mother and sobbing over her lifeless body?"

Snape's eyebrows shot up in the most evident show of surprise Harry had ever seen from him. "And care to tell me how you know of this, Mister Potter?" He asked.

"I saw it. During the change. I saw everything about that night up until that point. I then confronted the piece of Voldemort's soul inside of me, it had the nerve to take shape as my infant self, only…it couldn't change the eyes. They are the window to the soul, and the eyes were blood red. That's how I was able to muster the anger to kill it. So again I ask, why?"

"Your mother and I had a friendship from the time we were young, it ended, s you know, with the declaration to her of 'Mudblood' in a time of great anger. I attempted to apologize but she refused, I daresay it was a small contributing factor to my joining with The Dark Lord."

"That doesn't explain why you were there."

"Mister Potter there are some things that should be left untouched." Snape was getting irritated.

Harry sat and looked at him, and realization dawned on him. "You loved her. Didn't you?"

"Potter…"

"You were in love with my mother, and she rejected you for my father, and you mourned her when she died. There is no shame in that Professor."

"I mourned her… yes. But also because I was the one who told the partial prophecy to Voldemort, and when I realized it had placed her in harm's way, I begged Albus to hide you, all of you. But it was for naught, and I blamed myself. Does this satisfy you Potter?" Snape said, an edge of anger and pain in his voice.

"I don't blame you Professor. What you did was horrible, but you tried to make it right. It was Pettigrew that ultimately betrayed them." Harry stood, and motioned Melinda to do the same.

"Thank You Professor." He simply stated before they left. They could feel the waves of anguish and ager that came from the room afterwards. Harry felt bad for inflicting such a thing on someone, but he had to know. He was tired of being left in the dark about his life.

They returned home, and before the door was even properly closed Melinda found her lips being trapped in a kiss of desperate passion. "Thank You… for being there, for standing up for me." Harry whispered. He tried to respond, but another kiss silenced her, and she realized no response was needed.

They did not make it upstairs, and he laid her down on the large sofa stripping her with lightning speed, and entering her with barely so much as a hesitation. That was what making love was to them, no hesitation, it was fierce, it was passion and it was good.

He thrust into her, the moans escaping her lips egging him to push harder, faster. He complied with his urges, and within minutes he heard her make that whimpering noise and then she shouted his name to the ceiling above them.

And as always the feel of her climaxing brought him to the edge. He lifted her up and kissed her as he came inside of her, his moans being silenced by her lips.

They laid wrapped within one another for what seemed like hours. At that moment the only thought in Harry's mind was the conviction that he would do whatever it took to keep his love safe.

* * *

Ooooh Melinda get's fierce, and Snape finally admits that he may have a heart! Fans oneself... that one was difficult to get through. Please Review.


	8. Not One, Not Two, But Three!

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

The two Dhampir were actually nervous. To see a few people in locked rooms was one thing, but to walk out into the open, especially with several followers of Voldemort siting at one of the House tables. Melinda grabbed Harry's hand, she more nervous than he, for it had been a long time since she was around a large group of people. Harry had requested they dress in their nicest outfits for this, as he wanted to show his new status as more than just Harry Potter- Boy Who Lived. He had chosen a midnight blue silk collared shirt and grey slacks with black shoes. Melinda complimented him with a silver wrapped dress with a sprinkling of blue stones across the bodice, and in the see through lace that made up the sleeves. She paired it off with a pair of blue velvet and silver high heels. In all they looked like royalty.

All heads turned as the couple walked down the center aisle of the hall, and whispers rang out all over. They reached the head table and Harry politely took the hand offered to him by Albus and gave a polite nod to Severus, and a warm hug to Minerva. Albus said they were welcome to sit at the Head Table or join his former house. They opted for the head table.

As they sat, Harry and Melinda chatted with Minerva, Flitwick, and Hagrid. The half-giant swore that he and fang had been searching non-stop for Harry all while he was gone. The Dhampir felt bad that he had caused his friend worry, but the giant simply brushed it off when he apologized.

"Thin' nothin' of it. 'M jus' glad yer okay 'Arry. An' look, ye got yerself a lady. Makes me ol' hear' feel good knowin' ya is 'appy." Hagrid said before lightly patting him on the shoulder, and winking at Melinda, who blushed.

The conversation was interrupted by the morning post. Harry noticed quite a few whispers and glances to him and Melinda as the _Daily Prophet _was unfolded and read by the students. He heard as Minerva sighed, "Oh dear…" Before she handed the paper to Harry.

On the front page was a moving picture of Harry and Melinda standing looking at one another and then softly kissing. He recognized it as one that must have been taken of them standing in the Entrance hall yesterday. They had been so preoccupied with the argument with Dumbledore they hadn't noticed anyone around them.

Harry Potter: Boy Gone Dark?

It would seem readers, that after nearly a week of being missing, Harry Potter has returned, but oh, he is not the Harry Potter of old. This young man is taller, more defined, and simply all around different from the thin teen who left Hogwarts a few days ago. What caused this change? Well as you can see by the photograph, we here at the prophet believe it to be this young woman.

We have identified her as Melinda Potter (Nee' King), as it was told to us that the two people were joined in matrimony privately, and without the knowledge of any of their family or friends. Mrs. Potter is the only remaining link to the former Wizarding pure-blood family of the late Katherine King. It is well known that Katherine was nearly excommunicated from her family when she eloped with a Vampire. It would seem that Mrs. Potter is what is called a Dhampir, a half-human, half-vampire being. Not only that, but she has a record of having attacked several men over the years, and those were just the documented ones. Just who is Mrs. Melinda Potter?

And to make matters worse, we have revealed that the changes in Mr. Potter have come from his transformation into a Dhampir himself. The question on everyone's mind now is Why? Is it a strategic move for the fight against You-Know-Who, with and added bonus of love? Is it a move for Mr. Potter to try and escape the destiny that has been thrust upon him, and is he planning on abandoning our world for his new status? Or is this the beginning of a darker path towards joining You-Know-Who to take over the Wizarding World?

No one knows, but stick with us, and I assure you, loyal readers, we will uncover the truth.

-Bethesda Hirpshot.

Harry crinkled the newspaper in his fist. Especially when all of his friends in Gryffindor were glaring at Melinda like she was a disease spreading through Harry that must be eliminated. He knew about the attacks, Melinda had even used their bond to show him a few. They had been men who, over the years had been attracted to her different than normal beauty, and had refused to take no for an answer.

He noticed one particular set of eyes, not in Gryffindor that were watching Harry and Melinda very carefully. 'Malfoy', he thought to himself. He knew that if Voldemort did not already know of the news, he would soon.

He was broken from his revelry when he felt and heard Melinda hunch over, clutching her stomach and moaning in pain.

"Melinda!" He cried and knelt down to where she was on the floor writhing in pain. "Is it poison?" He asked her quickly as Madame Pomphrey made her way down the table to the Dhampir woman.

"Didn't…uh…smell…anything." She responded and Harry nodded before picking her up and with a jerk of his head to the Mediwitch he carried her through the side door and out into the corridor that would take him to the infirmary.

What seemed like hours later, Poppy came out of the private room, a sort of grim smile on her face. "She's fine, and has not been poisoned."

Harry felt his whole body relax and a sigh of relief escape his lips. "Then what happened?" he asked.

"Your wife is pregnant Mr. Potter, and while that is good news, I'm afraid it comes with some consequence."

"What do you mean? She only said pregnancy with Dhampir children is difficult for Witches, right?"

"Yes, but it is also difficult for Dhampir. While witches have a normal termed, yet somewhat painful pregnancy, Dhampir pregnancy is shortened, with the development taking three months, rather than nine. At that rate, her body goes through a new physical change nearly every day, instead of it being slowly done at a reasonable pace. This will be hard, and it will be painful. She's already two weeks into it, so you have about two and a half months to prepare, I'm guessing fits the timeline of your initial bonding?"

Harry nodded, almost in shock. He was going to be a father! But he was afraid for his wife, and knew that while she would survive it, it would not be easy for her. And to be pregnant NOW? When the Dark Lord could attack them at any moment, it was certainly not the best timing.

"Other than the obvious pain and such, is she healthy, is the baby healthy?" He asked as he stood to go see his love.

"They're fine, I see nothing out of the ordinary. I should be able to tell the sex of the _babies _within the next week or so." The Mediwitch smiled at the look of utter shock that passed over the man's face.

"Babies? How many are there?" He asked.

"Three. It is not uncommon for pregnancies between tow Dhampir to result in multiples. Now go see your wife, I have no doubt she is desperate to have you with her."

Harry swiftly went into the room, and saw Melinda in a dressing gown, her silver dress hanging over a nearby chair. "Melinda, are you alright?" He sat next to her and kissed her warm forehead.

"I'm fine. The pain I felt was the first physical change taking place, Madame Pomphrey has said she will get some things I can use to help ease the pain of the ones that are coming. But there will be many. I am not afraid I just feel this overwhelming sense of love and protection.

"That might be coming from me." He joked, and was happy to see her smile. "Do you have to stay here?" He asked.

"No, she said I can go home anytime, once I convinced her that home was not far, but she said that as soon as I go into labor, I am to come straight here, or call her to our home." She said.

"That's great, here, I'll help you get dressed. Can you believe it? Triplets! How are we going to manage?" He asked her jokingly.

"We are magical Dhampir, I think we can manage. I'm wondering about what to name them all!" She gushed as she placed her hand on her belly and watched as it physically started to round outwards a bit. "This is going to be very interesting. I'll have to alter my clothes."

They walked through the castle, and were stopped when Ron and Hermione along with Ginny and Neville, who had been holding back while the other two bickered. "Harry! There you are! Is everything alright?" Hermione asked, her voice laced with sincere concern.

"Everything's fine, this morning was a natural occurrence. Melinda and I have some news. She's pregnant! With triplets!" He beamed as the two girls in the group squealed and Neville clapped him on the back with a 'Way to go Harry!' He then hugged Melinda lightly with a polite congratulations, he still had to get used to the whole Dhampir thing, but she seemed nice enough.

Harry frowned as he noticed Ron had said nothing. "Ron?" He asked tentatively.

"Is what the prophet said true" His friend directed at Melinda. She gave him a sigh and a nod.

"But, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation Ronald!" Hermione cut in.

"Oh yeah, and I bet Harry knew all about it!" Ron countered.

"Actually I did." Harry said, and his four friends looked at him in shock.

"You knew? And you stayed with her? Bloody hell, you really are going dark aren't you?" Ron said.

"NO! She showed me her memories. Being what she is, she got a lot of men asking for certain things, and some of them didn't like taking no for an answer. At the time, her fists were the only thing protecting her, without revealing what she was."

"And I usually cried myself to sleep for a week after. The one I put into a coma? I visited him every day, and paid for his care, even if he was the one who attacked me, I felt bad that I had let my temper get out of control, and go from a simple situation of defense to full blown anger. I will never forgive myself for the awful things I did." Melinda said, before she walked past the group and headed out of the castle.

Harry glared at Ron, as did the other three. Once again he had jumped to conclusions, Melinda wasn't perfect, but she wasn't the kind of person to hurt someone just because she wanted to.

"Now look what you've done!" He yelled, before charging after her.

He could hear the shouts from Hermione and Ginny. "Ronald Weasley, I swear if we lose Harry, again!, because of your stupidity, I will never speak to you again!"

"You wait until I tell Mum, she'll go nuts, don't be surprised if SHE Bat-Bogey hexes you into next summer!"

He almost felt bad for the red haired boy. And that was what he was, a boy. Harry had grown up, and if Ron couldn't accept that, then things would change.

He reached the lawns and couldn't see Melinda, he knew she must have shielded herself, since she couldn't have gone far. He did the same and trekked down through the forest to their home. He found her in the loft rubbing her hands along her stomach and crying.

"I'm sorry about what he said." Harry spoke as he laid next to her.

"But was he right? Am I dark for the things I've done?" She whispered to him. When he tried to touch her she shied away from him.

"Love… I love you for the things you are, and for what you've done. You were surviving, and it's made you who you are. I could never think of you like I think of people who I know are dark." He said.

"My memories… I showed you the less violent ones. If I'm able to fight in this war, you may see a side of me you don't like. You may not even like yourself after. When fighting, the animal instinct of survival takes over, and we become just that, animals. It scares me."

"And that is why I know you're not dark. The fact that though you have accepted what you could become, you still fear it, and you fight to control it. Just as I will. And we'll do it together."

"Promise?" She asked.

He bent down and kissed her and then her stomach. "Promise."

* * *

Please Review!


	9. They're Coming!

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

Melinda potter: pregnant!

You heard right folks, it was confirmed by a source inside Hogwarts that a conversation was overheard in the halls between Mr. and Mrs. Potter and several friends of the new Dhampir couple. They were happily announcing the news of not one, not two, but THREE future Dhampir children.

What does this mean for the fight against You-Know-Who? On that, we do not know, but we can report that there may be trouble in paradise, as best friend of Mr. Potter, Mr. Ron Weasley was seen becoming very much angry and upset at the news and also the revelation that his friend had been aware of his wife's past indiscretions.

Oh what a tangled web my readers, stay with us for the latest updates on The Potter Family.

See Page 6 for answers to our reader opinion polls of The Potter Marriage.

-Bethesda Hirpshot

It had been two weeks since the announcement, and they were just now printing the story? Harry figured whoever had seen them had been negotiating profits for the story. He needed to be more careful about what Melinda and he spoke about to anyone unless they were in a closed room. They were currently having breakfast in the Great Hall and his wife was happily munching on some cheese toast, and giggling to Hermione and Ginny over baby names.

Ron was still sulking, and thus had not joined them. Hermione swore he was sorry, she believed he was just embarrassed and trying to figure out how to apologize for this one. Harry accepted that, but he wouldn't go searching for Ron either, not again.

Suddenly a centaur from the forest burst into the hall. "Albus! They're coming! The Death Eaters! They've breached the East side of the forest, they're trying to get through the wards!"

Several students screamed and panicked. Professor Dumbledore silenced the hall and shouted for the Prefects to take all students into their common rooms and for no one to leave them. He looked to his Professors, who rushed to assigned stations of the school to activate the stone guards.

Minerva and Severus moved to the Entrance Hall and shut the main doors. If they wanted into the castle they were going to have a fight on their hands.

"Albus!" Melinda cried. The old man looked to her.

"I can get you backup! I can have hordes of Dhampir here in minutes, just give me the word." She nodded when he gave his acceptance and they watched as she stood in the middle of the now almost empty hall and the air around her moved, and a large blue light erupted from her fingertips and shot through the ceiling. It lasted for a minute or so.

"Hagrid, take Melinda to greet our guests at the gates." Albus ordered. Hagrid nodded.

Harry grabbed his wife. "Be careful." Then he had a thought. "Hermione, Ginny, Luna!" He said.

The three girls, who had stayed behind with the rest of the former DA members, stood and went to him. "Go with them. As soon as she's explained the situation, get her out of there! Take her to our house, she knows where it is. It's warded like mad, no one but us can see it. Protect her, if someone should happen to find it, or something goes wrong…"

He was interrupted by Ginny. "We've got her Harry." They followed Melinda and Hagrid out of the castle, wands at the ready. Harry felt Neville and Ron come up to him. Ron spoke first. "I'm sorry mate, I was a real git, and I can't go into this knowing we aren't alright."

Harry nodded and grasped his shoulder. Albus saw this and came over. "Ron, Neville, you will be Harry's guard until it is time for him to act."

"Harry the Horcrux's are destroyed, there's only one left. Kill the snake Harry, and then he can truly fall. Now go!"

And that was it, Order members arrived and nearly fifty people followed Hagrid into the Great Hall. "The Dhampir, sir. Melinda already got 'em up ter speed."

"Good, you all, I want you to post yourselves around the castle at various points, try to be somewhere facing the grounds and the forest. If you see Death Eaters, use whatever means necessary to bring them down. We must keep them out of the castle at all costs."

Time flew by after that, Harry watched as if it were in slow motion, her herd the blasts and the shouts and the cries of pain. He saw the fire and the stone. He prayed the girls had made it to the house without being seen. Their house was on the west side of the forest, and he prayed the Death Eaters would be so wrapped in getting to the ground that they wouldn't move that far.

Finally it was his turn. Severus limped slightly into the hall and went to Albus who was standing over a table with Lupin and Kingsley, trying to maneuver strategies. "He's here Albus, on the grounds."

"It is time. Harry!" Albus turned to look at Harry, and noticed the boy was gone. Ron and Neville came up to him. "He just vanished sir, right from in between us, I don't know what happened." Ron swore.

"I do. Mr. Potter believes his new abilities enough to handle Voldemort, and while I am not disagreeing, the boy was stupid to have gone alone."

Harry could hear them as he raced through the hall and out of the castle, he saw Voldemort, and a quick glance to the west end of the forest showed it was empty of people, for the school mainly faced the east side. For that he was thankful. He dodged curses and people and silently shot a few spells at Death Eaters as he passed, felling quite a few.

Finally he was standing in front of the Dark Lord, but the bastard didn't see him. His snake did however, and she slowly began to slither towards him unbeknownst to her master. Harry pulled something from his boot, a knife Melinda had given him, with strong elemental magic woven into the blade. As the snake struck towards him, he jammed the blade into its mouth and pierced its skull. He could feel the dark energy release from it and the body disintegrated.

He heard the moans of agony coming from Voldemort and watched as the wizard tried to see what had caused the death of his last Horcrux. Harry dropped the shield and stood calmly before the Dark Lord.

"Harry Potter? Finally facing me like a man, but your newfound glory will not last long. 'AVADA KEDAVRA!' Voldemort yelled and a green light shone from his wand and sped towards Harry who shot from his hand a rebounding spell, red in color, and the two magic's collided midair and sizzled and hissed as they fought for dominance.

"Finishing this the way we started it eh' Tom? Your curse being rebounded back upon you? Only this time, you won't come back!" The last words were shouted as Harry pushed with all his strength and his magic overwhelmed the killing curse and he watched as it hit Voldemort square in the chest and the red eyes went wide as his body began to literally burn from the inside out, until there was nothing left but ashes on the ground. He could hear as the battle began to stop when the Death Eaters realized their master was dead and they were soon overtaken by the Aurors and the Order, along with many of the Dhampir who had ended up on the front lines somehow.

"Melinda." He whispered, and took off running towards the house. He reached it and was gloriously relieved to see it untouched. He knocked and stated "It's Harry." Before walking in, he knew it not wise to just barge in, as the girls must still be on high alert.

"Harry!" Melinda threw herself at her husband and cried and kissed him in her relief that he was alive and unharmed. "I could feel it, I could feel you. I'm so happy you're okay!" She gushed.

"Melinda has been keeping us informed of the general goings on. Those are some gifts you guys have there. I for one, and almost sorry I missed the battle." Ginny said.

"But we're glad it's over. We should go back to the castle." Hermione stated, and the others nodded.

Harry placed his hands on his wife's stomach, which was rounding out nicely already. "Your Dhampir did quite well, how did you get them all to help?"

"I sent out a distress signal of sorts. Only those who were loyal of me would have answered. So I knew when they got here, that there would either be very few, or no rejections. They were fighting to protect two of their own, that's all they had to know."

"You are amazing you know." He stated that as a fact.

"And so are you. I love you Harry."

"I love you too Melinda."

* * *

OOH IT'S OVER. The war is OVER!... but that's not the end of the story! Tee Hee!


	10. Let's Drink To You, Mr Potter

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

"Push Melinda! One more!" Poppy Pomphrey was shouting in a positive voice to Melinda Potter as she struggled to deliver the first of her children. Harry was outside in the main are of the infirmary, as he had been fussing over Melinda so much, Poppy had kicked him out.

Hermione, Luna, and Ginny, whom had befriended Melinda over the past months were inside the room with her, aiding the Mediwitch and helping to keep Melinda calm. Ron, and Neville were sitting with him, along with all of the other Weasleys, and Albus, Minerva, and Severus. Remus, Tonks, and practically the whole Order was there as well. None of them could hear the sounds from the room through the silencing wards, and it was making Harry nearly pull his hair out.

Fred and George were even being serious as they saw how stressed he was, they were trying to calm him down. Mrs. Weasley was calmly knitting a baby blanket, the last of the three she had made for the babies. She had done this seven times, not all at once mind you, but still, she knew if she could do it, then Melinda most certainly could.

Severus, whom Harry had healed after being hit with a nasty curse, had merely come along with Minerva seeing as they had been in a meeting when Albus's head had popped through the fireplace to announce that Mrs. Potter had gone into labor in the Great Hall. They could literally hear the cheers of the students as the exited the office and made their way past the Great Hall towards the Infirmary.

Minerva was doing something much like Molly, to the shock of the rooms occupants. She was transfiguring balls of cotton into three identical scarlet stuffed dragons, of which looked like a cartoon version of the dragon Harry had fought back in his fourth year. She was concentrating very hard, making sure the transfiguration stuck permanently.

"Mr. Potter."

Harry looked up to see Severus, who had just returned from having left the infirmary for a bit, above him, holding a set of glasses and a bottle of scotch in his hand. He handed one glass to Harry who took it with wide eyes, and he looked behind Severus and saw the identical stunned expressions of his friends, former teachers, and pseudo godfather.

"Sir?" He asked.

"It is customary in my family that when a man becomes a father, either his father, brother, or sometimes a mentor in the absence of those, toasts with him with scotch for each child. So I assume by the time we are done, you will feel most relaxed, and desist this nervous twittering of yours." Severus poured an almost full glass for Harry and for himself. He then held his glass up in toast.

"I do not have children, and I dare say yourself, and probably your offspring, being in my classroom, deter me even further from the notion. But you have come far from the nitwit child you used to be, and I owe you my life." He clinked his glass with Harry's and downed it with practiced ease. He waited until Harry did the same, even if he did have to cough a bit after. He then refilled it and they repeated the process, twice more until they had done one for each child. Severus then took the glass, nodded at him and left the Infirmary.

Harry was feeling quite pleasant, and when he saw his friend faces this time, he burst into laughter. As did everyone else, that was until the door to the other room opened and they heard three identical sets of lungs screaming from within.

Harry jumped from his seat and ran into the room, and grinned like a mad man when he saw his wife all clean and glowing as she sat up in the bed., and three basinets sitting next to the bed.

"Harry. I can smell the scotch. Tell Severus I do not approve." She teased before she looked to the basinets. "Come meet our children." They had opted not to know the sexes, and so Harry was nervous as he looked down into the basinets. He saw three identical pink blankets.

"Melinda, they're beautiful." The babies had quieted down and were staring at him, three identical pairs of green eyes.

"Looks like your genes are dominating." Melinda said with a chuckle. Harry looked confused and then lifted the little hats to see three heads of jet black hair.

"Oh…I hope they don't get my hairs ability to be messy." He laughed.

"What should we name them?" Melinda asked him. He looked at her, and gave her a smile.

A few minutes later Harry and Melinda walked out to the main room, two babies in his arms one in hers, and they were greeted by a group of their guests.

"Everyone, we would like to introduce, Katherine Molly Potter, Lily Hermione Potter, and Luna Ginevra Potter. We named them after their grandmothers and their three godmothers" Harry said.

Molly could be heard audibly sobbing in joy as she heard her name included as a grandmother, and to girls! She loved Ginny, but she had always wanted more girls! Hermione, Ginny, and Luna had cooed lovingly at their goddaughters, ready to spoil them rotten.

Ron, Neville, and Seamus looked nervous as their girlfriends cooed, wondering how long it would be before they started bringing up marriage and babies. Harry laughed at them when he looked over to his friends. When the girls moved, the boys looked down at the infants and simply gave the typical boy answer of 'Yeah, their cute.'

The whole of the group of people had finally seen the babies and all but the immediate family, friends and the castle staff had gone home. That was when Severus chose to return to the room, it was like he knew what was going on and was avoiding the baby cooing as much as possible. He stalked over to the new parents, who had the babies back into the basinets and had let the hats come off when the babies kept tugging them off.

He looked down his long nose and raised his brows at the three pairs of curious green eyes staring back at him. "I assume you three will be just as troublesome as your father." He had a thought and turned to Albus. "Can they even come to school here? Since they are not wizards?"

"Of course they can, they can do magic, can they not? This is a school to help mold and shape young magical minds." He replied, his eyes doing a full twinkle.

Severus looked down at the three girls in shock. "Three of them…" He whispered in a slightly panicked tone, so low that only Harry and Melinda could hear. He suddenly turned on his heels and raced out of the room, muttering something about 'resigning before they get here.'

Harry and Melinda burst out laughing at his behavior and had to explain the event to the others, who all laughed with them.

Harry looked to his wife, and his daughters. The war was over, he was free, and he had the rest of eternity to enjoy his family and his new life.

* * *

Babies! Gotta Love them? So now Harry's family is complete? Or is it?


	11. The Other Side

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

"Oh, it hurts to leave them Harry." Melinda cried as she handed her daughters off to Molly. They were on their way to do the very thing that had spurred the events of the past few months. They were going to get Sirius back.

"I know, but Molly is perfectly capable of handling them for a few days." Harry assured her, for the seventeenth time.

Melinda stared at her baby girls as Molly rattled some toys above their heads with her wand.

"Go you two, and be careful." Molly chastised with a grim smile.

It had been four months since the birth of his children, and he and Melinda had finally convinced the Ministry to allow them access to the archway. They had dressed in the outfits usually used for their treks through the woods.

They clasped hands and in a whoosh of air, they were standing in the Apparition room of The Ministry. Harry smiled politely at the many people who stopped to say hello, or simply stared at him. They reached the elevator and rode down to the Department of Mysteries. They checked in at the newly constructed security point, no doubt implemented after his own escapade into the Hall of Prophecies. He also felt his stomach clench when he remembered the last visit to the room with the veil, and he felt Melinda squeeze his hand in support.

"Harry, so nice to see you." Rufus Scrimgour stepped forward and shook his hand before lightly grasping Melinda's. "So are you going to explain why you wanted to badly to see the veil, Mr. Potter?"

"Closure, Minister. Be lucky that I asked permission at all, I could have just… walked in." He said in a teasing manner. This caused the Minister to smile awkwardly and laugh a bit. They had reached the entrance.

"This is where I leave you Mr. Potter. Please come by and see me sometime?" At Harry's nod, the Minister bowed lightly and scurried away, as if terrified of being there. Harry did not blame him.

Over the past four months they had researched and studied, even spoken to several Dhampir in an effort to find out just what they would find inside the veil. They had established that once inside, they would enter a sort of antechamber filled with doors, and they would initially be pulled to go towards the ones that were theirs, but would have to resist and concentrate on Sirius to bring his door to the forefront.

They had been warned that by entering another's world, there would be some consequences. There were things…evil things that patrolled the world of the veil, and they stayed in the shadows, feeding off of any negative energy they could find, unable to harm those who were in their own worlds. But they also acted as a sort of guard for trespassers, and Harry and Melinda would need to be alert for them.

Melinda shivered a bit as she watched the swirls of smoke and heard the voices. She knew that much like the thestral herds of Hogwarts, one has to have witnessed death to see the true nature of the veil. "We go in, we get Sirius as quickly as possible, and we get out, no matter what we see or hear. Agreed?" She said.

"Agreed." He replied and they stepped onto the rocky mound which the archway stood upon and clasped hands as they stepped through the mist. Harry felt like his skin had been dipped in ice, and knew Melinda must feel the same because she shivered again. But the feeling passed quickly, and they were standing in a white room with black wooden doors surrounding them. It reminded Harry of his changing process, and he didn't like it.

He could hear voices from the door to his immediate left. They were whispering to him, calling his name. He shook his head clear and held tightly to Melinda, as she was slowly walking towards another door. "No!, remember, focus on Sirius." He said.

She nodded and gave him a small smile of apology. She had looked at pictures, and listened to stories for months in preparation of this day, and she couldn't ruin it now. She stood with her husband and focused on the smiling face of the rugged looking Sirius Black. The doors around them began to shift until one was dead center in front of them.

Harry looked to his wife, and then reached out to the door and turned the knob. They found themselves in a house. An old manor by the looks of it and they heard laughing. They followed the voices, keeping an eye out for the guards of the veil. Harry pushed open a cracked door, and saw a living room, and sitting around a table laughing it up was Sirius , and his parents. They were all chatting and laughing like none of them were dead.

"Sirius?" He said, and all of the eyes in the room jerked to the doorway.

"Harry?! Merlin's beard, what are you doing here? And what happened to you? Oh god… you're dead… if you weren't dead you wouldn't be here would you?" The happy face turned a bit sad before he looked at Melinda. "And who's this?"

"Sirius, look I don't have time to explain everything right now, but YOU ARE NOT DEAD!" You're trapped in some crazy dimension caused by you falling into the veil. We've come to get you out, we need to leave before the guards come!"

"Of course I'm dead Harry. I remember being hit with the curse."

"You weren't hit Sirius, I saw, you threw yourself out of the way and ended up falling through the veil. Now please, come with us."

"I don't know… and I've never seen any guards." Sirius answered uncertainly.

"They avoid and leave those unharmed who reside in their own version of the veil world, but we are trespassing, and it won't be long before they realize we're here." Melinda stated, feeling something in the air change.

"Okay, I believe you, I have no reason not to. But you have some explaining to do." He said. Then he turned to Lily and James, only to find they were gone. "Where did they go?"

Harry grabbed him and they began walking to the door as he explained. "They were manifestations of your world, by accepting that it wasn't real, they disappeared."

Suddenly Melinda jerked back and shot a bolt of light down the empty hallway they just came down. "We've got company!" She shouted.

"Sirius get behind us!" Harry yelled and he simultaneously began shooting light through the hall, hearing screeches from figures they could only see as blobs of shadow. They were a mere few inches from the door, and so they walked backwards and Harry reached back with one hand and turned the knob, and felt all three of them falling back into the white room, and he and Melinda slammed the door as the screeching of the shadow guards got louder.

Harry looked over and checked if Melinda was alright, she nodded, and asked the same of him, which elicited the same response. They stood and turned around to see Sirius staring at them in a mix of wonder and fear. "What the bloody hell? What were those things? Were they there that whole time? Why aren't you wearing glasses? Where's your wand? How did you do that light thing? And Who the HELL is she?! His godfather seemed to be in full panic mode now and Harry realized they weren't going to make it out of there until he explained.

"A few months ago I went walking in the forest after a fight with Ron, I didn't mean to end up there it was an accident, and I got lost. That's where Melinda comes in. She initially scared the hell out of me but long story short, we talked, we spent some time together we fell in love, and I asked her to change me into a Dhampir. Which is what we both are now, hence the no glasses and no wand thing. We got married, and we have three beautiful baby girls, who I cannot wait for you to meet. Oh, and Voldemort is dead. I killed him. And now I teach DADA at Hogwarts. They figured I was a safe bet, since it is very hard to kill me, and I'm immortal. They figured I would be around for a while. As for this place, I told you, it's like another dimension. And those things were the shadow guards who keep trespassers from entering worlds not their own, mostly so they can't screw up someone else's paradise. But being similar to the undead who can walk through worlds between life and death freely, we decided to come and get you out. So that about wraps it up. Let's go."

He grabbed his godfather by the arm, and Melinda took hold of his other hand and they literally jumped through the veil. But what they saw on the other side wasn't the room they had left behind. It was a wasteland of stone, they could see the outside, where dark clouds rolled, and they could see…bones of people scattered around them. Harry looked to Melinda, who had an expression of fear and deep confusion on her face. Sirius just still looked freaked out.

"Where the hell are we?"

* * *

Where indeed? The plot thickens. Please Review!


	12. Hogwarts

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

Melinda stared at her husband in fear. "I don't know. It looks like the Ministry, but it can't be." She concentrated and a type of light filled map came up in her hand, it stated that they were indeed in Wizarding London, and were standing somewhere in The Ministry Of Magic. She wrinkled her brow, and the scene went away, to be replaced by the time, which stated they were thirty minutes past the hour which they entered the veil, and another blink and it changed, this was the one which chilled her heart. "Harry."

This vision showed the date. _June 14, 2013. _

"I didn't know this could happen but it seems the time paradox between the world of the veil and the actual world is different. I've never heard of anything like it. We've traveled sixteen years into the future." Melinda said, and then her head shot up. "Harry! The girls!"

He instantly grabbed her and Sirius and transported them back to The Burrow. But they saw nothing but an empty field and ruins. The next stop was their home.

They walked through, and saw that the house looked as if it hadn't been disturbed since they left, which it probably hadn't seeing as few people who knew of it actually knew where it was. The floor and everything inside was covered in dust. He waved his hand and it all became clean again.

Melinda looked confused and turned to him. "Harry the baby basinets are gone. And the layers of dust were not very thick, maybe a years' worth if that. Someone else has been here since we left. It has to have been the girls." She said.

They were interrupted when Sirius raised his hands high and said, "You said you have three daughters right?"

Harry and Melinda turned around and saw three women standing behind them, blocking the door, each one holding a weapon of some sort.

They raised their hands, much as Sirius did, and before they could speak one of them stuck her sword under Sirius's throat. "Who Are You?" She asked, her green eyes shining with a deadly glint.

Melinda knew which one had spoken, even with the age difference she could tell her children apart. "Katherine." She whispered, and the woman jerked her head in her direction.

"Lily! Get the pictures for me!" She shouted to her sister, who reached into the sack hanging from her shoulder and handed her a small book. Katherine opened it and looked down at one of the photos, and then back at The three occupants of the room. She flipped a few pages forward and looked at Sirius.

Harry recognized the small book as the photo album they had started for the girls, with pictures of their whole group of family and friends, and the Order. And of course a few of Harry and Melinda themselves.

"It can't be… they've been dead for years." Katherine said. She motioned for her sisters to look at the pictures. Lily gasped, and the last one, Luna, dropped her knife in shock. "It is them. It's Mum and Dad, and Uncle Sirius. But how?" She said.

Katherine fixed the three people with a hard look. "I still am not convinced, explain how you are here when you've been dead for the past sixteen years. Seventeen for you," She pointed at Sirius.

"We went through the veil to get Sirius out. When we came out, the world was like this. We didn't know this could happen. Didn't know that by going through we basically were coming out years later. Oh my girls… I am so sorry that we weren't there for you." Melinda said and began sobbing, and weapons or not, she rushed forward and gathered the three girls into her arms. They all three stiffened at the contact.

"Okay, so you are our parents." Lily said.

"What happened here girls?" Harry asked.

"Another Dark Wizard. He was in Azkaban, going slowly mad, and when Peter Pettigrew went to prison, he ended up as this guy's cellmate. He told him all about how Voldemort broke people out the first time, and told him about all of the schemes and plans. This guy broke out, and used Wormtail as a vat of knowledge on how to take over without making the same mistakes Voldemort did. Dumbledore re-formed the order, but he died shortly after. Now it's run by Severus and Minerva, with help from Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione." Katherine informed them.

"Take us to them?" Harry asked. They received a nod, and they followed the women out of the forest onto the grounds of Hogwarts, which weren't much more than ruin.

"Hogwarts was one of the first places to fall. So many students died, there was no hope of even trying to re-open it. Now the Order uses it's hidden dungeons as its Headquarters." Luna told them as they entered the crumbling entrance hall.

Harry and Sirius's eyes pricked at the sight. This had been their home for most of their lives, to see it in such a shape, was heartbreaking. They saw the bones of people scattered here too.

"How come these people weren't buried?" He asked Lily.

"After the battle, everyone alive was forced out. It wasn't until later that the Order was able to get back in though the lake tunnels, they didn't dare try to move anything above ground, for fear of someone seeing them. Turn here." She replied and directed them to the left, where the tunnel narrowed a bit and was much drier. They reached a door and Katherine pressed her hand to the door. "Magical imprinting, so no one who isn't a member or brought in by a member can get in."

Walking through the hallway towards their destination something struck Harry. "Melinda, do you remember what the hallway in the house we found Sirius in looked like?" She gave him a puzzled look, and Sirius actually answered him.

"Well that's easy. It's a red and gold hallway, with the big doors for the sitting room in the middle of one wall and two black doors at the ends. We went through one of them when we left." He replied, happy that he finally knew an answer instead of seeking one.

"The doors to the sitting room, what direction did we turn when leaving?" Melinda asked Sirius, catching onto what Harry was saying.

"Left. I remember because I bumped into the plant that sits on the left of the door." He said.

"That's it! Melinda, I think the reason we are here I because we went through the wrong door! When we came in I distinctly remember entering the living room doors _which were on our left! _Which means we should have turned right to get out. All we have to do is go back through the veil, and come out the other door." He said.

"Fat chance of that Dad." Lily said.

"Why?" Melinda asked. They had stopped walking now and were standing, three people on either side of the hall.

"You came out of the veil, which pretty much sits in the heart of Wizarding London, sine you definitely didn't come by train, you had to have used magic, which means that Dragonis' forces most definitely detected it. Their base of operations is located in the Ministers Mansion, which sits not a mile from the former Ministry, you can't use magic within five miles of that place without his people knowing about it. Did you come straight here?" Luna explained.

"No we went to the burrow first, seeing as that was the last place we saw you." Harry responded.

"Good, that means they won't be able to track you. They can only track you using the magical line created within their wards. Once they're outside of it, they can't track you anymore. So we're safe. But in order to get back to the veil, we'll have to go within that radius and the rest of the way on foot. We can assemble a team to lure the forces to a different side of the wards while we go in and send you through to the veil, but it's going to take some time, we have to plan everything by the letter." She continued.

They had started walking again and came upon an open cavern. Harry's eyes went wide as he saw The Chamber of Secrets. "Bloody Hell!"

"Uncle Ron thought of it, said that if no one in years but you could get into it, then it was the safest place to set up, none of us could speak parseltongue to get in from above though, so Lily and I used our magic to scout the tunnels under the lake to get in, we had to blast a few openings, but we figured it out. Ever wondered how all of that water ended up down there?" Katherine said.

They heard voices as they reached the main chamber, and Harry was relieved to see the dead basilisk was gone. Several people looked up and first saw the girls, and then the people behind them.

"Bloody Hell!" This came from a very shocked looking, and much older, Ron Weasley. He came forward and stared at the three newcomers to the Headquarters. He looked to the girls. "Are they really?" he asked and when he received a nod in response, he lunged forward and gathered all three of them in the tightest hug he could manage. "Lily go get Hermione, and Snape, they're going to want to see this."


	13. Old Friends With New Faces

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

They had spent the last hour alternating between hugs and questions about how they got there, and being interrogated by Severus.

Finally the new Order was convinced that they were who they said they were, and things began to settle down. Sirius was instantly taken to the side of Remus, and while Harry would have loved to speak to him more, but he had a Potion Master to talk to. He released himself from the conversation with a very much older looking, but still formidable Minerva, and walked to a large table where his former teacher stood, still looking the same, but his black hair now had a gray streak through it, and the steep lines of worry across his forehead had deepened.

"Severus."

"Potter."

"So we think we know how we ended up here. There were two doors in this hallway of the dimension where we found Sirius, and we think that during our exit, which was rather hasty, we went through the wrong door. If we just can get back through the veil, we can return to our time."

Severus stared at his former student for a few moments. "Lily!" he shouted, much to Harry's annoyance.

"Yeah?" They heard coming from the side the room where Melinda was talking to their daughters.

"Would you retrieve our infiltration expert?" He asked, and it freaked Harry out, because it was… nice?

"When did you go soft?" Harry asked the man.

"I did not. Over the years, your daughter's have proven to be not as annoying as you. That is all." He replied.

Harry inwardly chuckled but said nothing. Severus however was watching him, for he was waiting for the look that would cross his face when he realized who their expert was.

He wasn't disappointed. Harry's face contorted with distaste and mistrust and a ball of fire narrowly missed hitting the man who had entered the room.

"I see you aim has not improved over the years Potter." Draco Malfoy intoned in an aggravated voice.

But this, like everyone else, was not the Draco of past. His hair was long and shaggy looking, and did not have the white glow it once did. The face was marred by a long thin scar across his face from the top of his nose and down his right cheek.

"What the hell is he doing here? A Dark Wizard is taking over the world, I figured he'd be on that side." Harry sneered.

"Contrary to former belief Potter, I did not follow in my father's footsteps." He raised his sleeves and showed his bare forearms, showing no dark marks. Harry still hated the bastard, but her had to admit that maybe he wasn't an evil little spawn of Satan.

"So you're an infiltration expert?" He asked.

"Yes. I learned the art from the right hand man of the new Dark Lord. I believe you know him? Goes by the name of Lucius?"

"Honestly Malfoy, that doesn't surprise me."

"It didn't surprise me either." The blonde man answered.

"So we need to plan how to get into the main area of his wards to get us through the veil." Harry said.

"And why would we want to do that?" Malfoy asked.

"Because if we can get them to their time, we can stop this war before it even starts." Severus stated.

Malfoy definitely looked interested at this.

Harry was distracted when the sound of a bell chiming rang through the hall. The only people who stopped to look up were himself, Melinda, and Sirius.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

"The entrance bell. It lets us know when one of our own has returned." Was the reply, which came from Ron, who had come over to join the group, Hermione at his side.

Harry turned and watched as two women and a man entered the cavern, he instantly recognized them. "Ginny…Luna…Neville!" He shouted.

The three people stopped in their tracks at his voice and stared in shock. "Harry?" Said Neville.

Harry had to admit Neville looked good, very tall, rugged looking, ad tan like he spent a lot of time outside. Ginny and Luna didn't look much different, just older, and a bit imposing with the obvious battle gear they were wearing, and Luna had lost the dreamy look she used to wear.

Ginny ran forward and grabbed Harry, giving him a hug, before she began firing off questions. They were interrupted however, when Malfoy sneered at Harry and asked. "Would you kindly remove your hands from my wife Potter?"

"WIFE?!" Was the response he got.

"Harry please, calm yourself. It's been sixteen years, you can't expect everything to be the same as it was." This came from Melinda, who had come to see the commotion. Her children were in the background, laughing lightly at the look of appalled shock on their fathers face.

"I'm sorry…this s just a lot to take in."

"Indeed. Now can we please get back to the task at hand?" Malfoy said as he wrapped his arm around Ginny's waist. This also surprised Harry. Malfoy was being, polite to him?

"Planning… right." Harry muttered.

Severus, who had been watching the interactions with an amused air looked down his nose at Harry.

"It seems, Mr. Potter, that the future of our world once again falls into your hands."

* * *

I'm sorry this one was a bit short, it was more of a character introduction for the chapters to come. We had to know how the people in the scenes got there right? Lol Don't hate me okay?


	14. Inside The Wards

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

Melinda choked on the smell of smoke that emanated around them. To her right were her children, and her left was her husband and his two best friends. Sirius was a few feet away with Remus and Malfoy.

They watched as Ginny, Luna, Neville, Severus, and a few other Order members separated from the group, which had apparated to a point that was about a half mile away from the edge of the wards. The retreating group was headed to the North side of the wards to create their diversion. Severus had instructed them to make as big a noise as possible, and to the group headed for the veil, he had warned them to move fast.

She felt her husband's hand on hers as he could feel her fear and worry. He gave her a small smile. "Let's go." He mouthed to her. She smiled back and nodded her head to the direction of her daughters who began to stealthily walk through the rubble towards their destination. They had opted to be the first line of defense, and at first Melinda had vehemently rejected the idea, but her daughters had told her that neither of the other groups could be first, since they protected the people who had to go through the veil. And if they didn't get through the veil, then they were all going to probably die anyways.

Needless to say Melinda had been outvoted. She watched in a sort of terrified pride as her children swiftly made it through the wards, felling a few of the guards nearby, in almost noiseless manners. This behavior set a sort of fire in Melinda's mind that she would do whatever it took to make sure her children didn't have to learn how to do these things, if she did nothing else for them in their lifetime, she would do that.

Harry smiled to himself as he felt his wife's fear slip into fierce determination, and watched as the signal for the second group to proceed came. This would be himself and Melinda. Sirius had insisted that they go first, and should their backs need to be covered he would do it. Harry chuckled a bit as his words flashed though his mind:

_"__I've been dead to the world this long, if I truly die protecting you, then it's worth it."_

They watched as Malfoy, Sirius and Remus ran forward. And that's when the whole world went to hell. An almost bomb like blast shook the ground, and they knew that it was the result of the other groups diversion, only, the guards weren't all running to the sound. They were forming a perimeter around the wards.

"PLAN B!" Malfoy shouted, and Harry and Melinda's group shot up from their hiding spot, throwing spells and curses at any guards who got in their way. Apparently the years had taught Ron that he needed to do more than disarm, since he used _Sectumsempra _on a guard who got fearfully close to Hermione.

They saw the other group apparating into the area. Their cover was already blown and they wanted to assure that the 'package' as Severus had put it, was delivered to its destination. Harry stared at the large burn on the side of the man's face.

"Get Moving Potter, We DO NOT HAVE ALL NIGHT!" The man yelled at the dumbstruck Dhampir, and Harry ran to catch up to the others, who instantly formed a sort of moving ring around the three time travellers, protecting them while still allowing small enough spaces for them to aid in the defense.

Melinda suddenly hit herself on her head with her palm and in an obvious effort of concentration, Harry felt the magic surrounding them. She was making an invisibility shield, but big enough to hide all of them. He focused his energy on aiding her, as well as shooting down guards as they moved.

Malfoy looked at the woman, a bit stunned, and then said in a loud hurried voice, attempting to be heard over the noise of battle. "That won't work for long, we're inside the wards! They'll be tracking us. Hopefully we can still get to the veil before they realize where we are!"

Harry breathed a sigh of relief minutes later when they spotted their daughters, huddled under a sideways stone wall, about ten feet from the veil.

"Mom! Dad! Go! We'll cover you!" Katherine shouted.

They did as they were told, and Melinda grabbed onto Sirius, who had been too focused on fighting to hear the order. He turned and ran with the three, but their way was blocked when out of nowhere, another horde of guards came upon them. They must have been monitoring the veil since the three had arrive. But the guards weren't alone.

A tall grisly looking man, with scars across his face, and eyes that shone with madness stepped from the horde and cast a spell that seemed to trap everyone near him, but his army, in invisible bonds.

Melinda fell over and landed with her head close to Harry's. He stared at his wife in fear, he was attempting to use his magic to break the bonds, but he couldn't.

"Dhampir… you think you are invincible? When my most prized informant told me of you, I made sure to concoct spells of my own, which were impervious to your magic. I went through several of your kind in the process, but it was worth it." Said a horrid voice that stun in their ears like bees from above them. The New Dark Lord was obviously paranoid, if he thought that somehow Harry Potter would come and destroy him. Well… he did end up coming back, but not to destroy anyone.

The Dark Lord moved over to Malfoy and began taunting him about such a waste of a son he was, and how he would deliver him to his father for punishment. During this Melinda rolled her eyes. "Villains, always with the monologue's." She said. Then she looked at Harry.

"This guy thinks he has us, but I have a few tricks up my own sleeve. I've been alive too long not too." She got a look of concentration on her face and suddenly the bonds binding Harry and Sirius, who was very close to them, came undone. "Harry, take Sirius, go." She said.

Harry instantly was telling her no. "I'm not leaving you!" He whispered harshly, keeping himself still on the ground. "How did you undo the binds?" He asked.

"It's a powerful old magic, I simply intertwined my mind with the magic of the binds and unraveled them from the inside. It takes years of practice, which you do not have. GO, our daughters need you, the world needs you. You are the only one who can save them, who can save us. And you need Sirius to help. I'll buy you some time."

"Melinda…" he started, his voice breaking.

"Do you trust me?" She said.

"What?"

"I said, Do you trust me?" She said, as she gave him a sweet and loving smile.

"Yes. I trust you, and I love you, so much." He replied, and leaned closer to kiss her. It was strained and hard, but he managed it.

Melinda looked up to where the Dark Lord was instructing his troops on what to do with them. "I love you." She whispered, and Harry watched as magic began to swirl around her, and her eyes shone like embers of a fire, and Harry knew what she was doing, she was building up her magic to go off like a bomb.

Harry grabbed Sirius and lunged to his feet, sprinting like mad towards the arch. Before the guards could even react, the area was engulfed in a bright, blinding light that pierced through everything. Harry could feel it coming close on his heels as once again he jumped through the veil, dragging Sirius with him.

They landed in a heap in the white room with the doors. Harry stared at the archway, but saw nothing but smoke. He felt his body shaking with the tears flowing from his eyes. Sirius leaned over and took hold of his godson, and knowing that while Harry would be happy that Sirius was with him, he would certainly not be enough.


	15. A Long Time

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

Hours…Days…Harry didn't know how long they sat there. Finally, he and Sirius stood. "I don't know how the other worlds will be, so our best bet is to find your world, and go back through. Be prepared, the shadow guards will most likely sense us, so we have to move quickly."

Sirius nodded, and they stood looking at the surrounding doors until they shifted and one came into view. Harry looked back to the arch and then strode forward, determined to go straight to Azkaban and rip the head off of both Wormtail and his new cellmate. They had taken too much from him.

As soon as they opened the door, they saw the same hallway, and Harry sent several very bright balls of light into the space, and hearing no shrieks of pain they ran forward and raced through the hall nearly slamming into the opposite door in their haste.

Harry yanked the thing open and stepped through it, Sirius close behind. Just in time too, for they heard the snarls of the shadow guard beginning to permeate the dimming lights.

"Do you think it worked?" Sirius asked.

"One way to find out." Was the reply.

They stepped through the veil, and the sight of Minister Scrimgour and a few Aurors, one which before Harry would have never been relieved to see, made him lean against the arch and breathe a strangled sob of sadness, and relief.

"Mr. Potter! The minute you stepped through the veil, we were notified. What were you thinking? You could have gotten lost, you could have died! Thank Merlin you were only in there for twenty minutes, or I would have made an announcement to the press, and the Wizarding world would have my head!" Said the man.

"I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you so, Minister." Harry sneered.

"Wait… where is your wife Mr. Potter? And what on earth happened to you? You look like you've wrestled a dragon! And is that? Sirius Black?!"

Sirius instantly was on alert for the Aurors to begin trying to catch him, but Harry calmed him. "You were pardoned when they caught Wormtail." Sirius relaxed a bit, but still eyed the Aurors with suspicion.

"What happened in there is neither yours, or anyone elses business." Harry intoned in a solemn yet precise manner. "Now if you'll excuse me." He turned and walked out the door to the side of the room, and vowed he was going to dislike doors for the rest of his life.

They apparated out of the Ministry and to the gates of Azkaban. Sirius refused to go inside, but instead said he would wait by the security check. Harry did not blame him. He used a bit of magic and his name, a process he disliked very much, to gain access to Wormtail's cell. The halls of the prison were dank and dark, but at least the Dementor guards were gone.

The two Aurors nodded briefly to Harry before walking down the cell hall and standing outside of its entrance, Harry knew that whatever happened, they would not come back until Harry was done.

The face of Wormtail appeared at the bars and he squeaked when he saw Harry. "H-Ha-Harry! W-What are y-you d-d-d-doing here?" The rat man stuttered.

"Save your breath Wormtail, I'm not here for you. I'm here to have a chat with your friend here."

"Ferdinand? W-why?" Wormtail said.

"Because my wife is dead, and if he hadn't been alive, that wouldn't have happened." Harry said in a very quiet and scary voice. Wormtail cowered as literal black smoke began to come out of Harry's hands and leak through the bars. The other man, Ferdinand, looked up and Harry saw that grisly face, those mad eyes. It fueled his hatred, and the smoke began to wrap itself around both men, and it filled their mouths and noses and seeped into their pores until the struggling stopped, and the bodies went limp.

Harry opened the bars with a wave of his hand and checked the bodies, making sure they were dead. Satisfied, he walked back down the hall, the Aurors coming into view.

"Don't bother contacting anyone, I doubt there's anyone to miss them." He told them.

Sirius met him outside, and he instantly saw in Harry's eyes, the change. The look of a man who had now killed twice, but this time, it hadn't been just because of the survival of their world. His heart ached for his godson, and prayed that for all he had suffered, fate would have mercy on him, and give him at least a normal, quiet life from here on out.

Harry simply looked at him and disappeared, Sirius knew he was going to go see his children and swiftly followed.

They landed on the lawn of the Burrow, and they could hear the laughter and giggling babies inside. Harry braced himself, walking forward, knowing that the conversations to come wouldn't be easy.

He stopped in his tracks as a familiar sound came from the slightly open window. A beautiful, melodic sound he never thought he'd here again. He raced forward and burst through the door, and stared wide eyed at the woman sitting on the chair across from him.

"It's about time you got here. I was thinking you'd taken the wrong door again." Melinda said with a smile.

Harry lunged forward and fell to his knees, he laid his head on her leg, and wept with tears of joy. The thought crossed his mind that he had entered another false world, but he looked up and saw the smudges of dirt on her face, the way the ends of her hair were slightly singed, and her clothes had holes in them and reeked of smoke.

The other occupants of the room silently exited, and took Sirius with them. But Harry didn't notice, all he saw was that Melinda was alive and in his arms again. They sat like that for a long time, until his body stopped shaking in relief and disbelief.

"How?" Was all he said.

"I told you I had some tricks up my sleeve. I released my magic to everywhere around me, but here was no way it would have taken me with it. It took me a few hours to recover enough to go back through the veil, but I did it, and I had a bit of a spat with the shadow guards, not very good timing mind you, as it literally drained me of all the magic energy I had left. But I came back to you. According to the Minister I missed you by a literal fifteen minutes, and I came back here thinking I would find you, but you weren't here. I told you to trust me." She responded, as she slid down to the floor and let herself be held closer by her husband.

"All of your magic?" He asked.

"It will come back, but it's going to take a few weeks. Now, I assume you were taking care of the problem?" She said.

"I did what we came back to do. Yes." Harry replied and he found he couldn't look her in the eyes.

"Harry… I can feel you. Whatever you did, you did out of love. The universe has placed great trials on your shoulders, because it knew your soul was one of the few that exists who could handle them. I will never think less of you for anything you do." She assured him.

Another set of soft tears fell from his eyes, and he stood, helping her stand as well. He walked over to the bassinets, and saw three happy, and content pairs of green eyes looking back at him. He realized that Melinda was right, everything he did, had done, had been for love. Love of his friends, his wife, his godfather, and his children.

He hugged Melinda to him, and kissed the top of her head. Yes, the love he had fought for is the love he would keep fighting for. Any threat to come into their world, he would spend every day of his life fighting.

And after all, he was going to be around for a long time.


	16. Ours

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

* * *

_11 years later…_

"Come on Severus, the girls aren't that bad." Harry chuckled at his colleague and the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Harry, as DADA Professor, was now Deputy Headmaster, and he loved teasing Severus.

The man looked much like he did in the future world. His black hair had a streak of gray, and the lines on his face had deepened a bit. Very few people knew what had gone on in the future, and no one but the three who had travelled there knew every detail.

"Potter, your children are bigger mischief makers than you, and I personally believed it to be impossible to achieve that feat. The fact of them being female seems to aid in their attempts at following in your footsteps." Was the snarky reply, before he walked over to where Minerva sat talking to Remus, Sirius, and Tonks who was trying to clean cake off of her son Teddy's face, as Victoria Weasley giggled at the face he was making because of it.

They were all gathered at Hogwarts in The Great Hall, it was a weekend, and so the only students there were Harry's daughters, and some of their friend, who were celebrating their twelfth birthday, along with about fifty witches ad wizards.

Harry watched as Melinda took a piece of cake to Ginny, who's very pregnant state had her sitting, rather than helping to wrangle the other children, she was two days past her due date, and everyone was on watch for her to go into labor. Her own six year old twin boys, both sporting strawberry blonde hair, were proceeding to smack Thomas Longbottom on the head, causing the four year old boy to cry, and the eight year old Rose Weasley sitting next to them to set about glaring at the two boys as she soothed the injured toddler. Her brother Hugo of course was trying to cover his snickers as he looked upon the act of his cousins, who were the same age as him.

As much as the future had been changed, it seemed fate itself was true to form. Neville and Luna had started dating and had married. Neville was the new Herbology Professor, since Professor Sprout had retired last year, and Luna ran a naturalist apothecary, and had traveled the world in search of rare plants and animals, which had led her to discover that not all of the creatures her father had told her about existed. But she had proved the theory of Nargles.

Ginny, while she had been playing for three years as a Chaser for the Hollyhead Harpies, had injured her knee pretty badly, decided to resign to do sports writing for the Prophet, and had needed a lawyer when the team tried to deny her rightful earnings of the teams profits, which was against her contract agreements, since she had been injured during a game. Surprisingly it was Draco Malfoy, who had gone to University to study law, that came to her rescue and not only won her case, but her heart as well.

Albus had indeed died about two years after the incident, as Harry liked to call it. But it was a peaceful death, he had been surrounded by his friends and people who loved him. Minerva had taken over the school at that point, but within four years, she had fallen ill, and while she recovered, she chose to retire as well, seeing as she was weakened terribly by the disease.

Ron was an Auror now, and Hermione was undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. They had, nor surprisingly, gotten together, and married soon after. They had Rose, and then Hugo. But then had shocked everyone two years ago when they had separated and divorced, amicably of course, as they had simply realized that over the years they had become two very different people, and it wasn't fair to their children to stay together and be miserable. Ron was now dating a fellow Auror, who seemed to fit him quite well. Hermione was newly engaged to a French wizard who specialized in Legal Review and Alterations, named Henri, whom she had met through work.

Harry looked around at his friends and family, chuckling at Fred and George, who were trying to prank their wives Katie and Angelina, only to be caught. Molly was bouncing Fred's son Anthony on her lap, the baby drooling happily on a stuffed dog wearing a little W sweater, as Arthur waved a rubber duck at him, causing the baby to laugh.

He smiled as Melinda came up to him, placing a piece of cake on the table. "Sickle for your thoughts love?" She said, as she maneuvered the slightly rounded belly of another pregnancy, only about three weeks in now, so she could sit on his lap.

"Just thinking about our life." He answered, then he became solemn as he looked out at his friends. "How long do you think we'll be able to stay around them before it becomes too hard?" he asked.

" A long time yet. I have seen many friends come and go Harry, and while it is never easy, it is also a wonderful thing to be able to see their lives while they live them. Look at the children. In a number of years, it will be them who will be our friends, as their parents leave this world for the paradise beyond. I cannot say it will not hurt to lose them, but when the time comes, simply remember all of the time you have had with them, and the ache will cease to hurt as bad." She replied.

"I can see it now, Ron and Malfoy, arguing while they shake their canes at one another. And I'll still be who I am today. It will be nice to be able to laugh at them without worrying about breaking a hip." He joked.

They stood and told their friends they were going for a walk, no that the parental part of the party was winding down, and the children were simply playing with each other. They ended up at the home they had shared in the forest. Over the years, they had decided that a cottage was too small for all of them, and had moved to a nice large home in Hogsmeade. They kept the place clean however, and would steal away for alone time every now and then. They also wanted to have it for the girls to live in when they were old enough to not want to live with Mom and Dad anymore.

"And not only will we have them, and their children, but we will have our children. Our daughters, who will go on to fall in love and bring new Dhampir into our family, whether by marrying another Dhampir, or changing someone they love. And our sons, who will be two very handsome boys, and will break many hearts before they settle down like their sisters. And all of them, will have children, and then they will have children, and we will be there, for all of them. How many thrice great-grandparents are alive to see the children being born?" She said.

"Not many I suppose." Harry commented as they climbed the ladder to the loft, where he laid his wife down on the cushions and blankets, much as he did all those years ago.

"Precisely. We are blessed in so many ways, Harry. So do not worry for the future, but simply enjoy the present."

Harry fixed her with an arched eyebrow. "Well I know one future I never worry about."

"Oh? And what future would that be?" His wife asked.

"Ours."

* * *

The end of stories always makes me cry... I hope you enjoyed this story. Please review!


End file.
